New Zealand
Anemacore strikes in Sunshine Coast Cup
Letham Stud stallion Unusual Suspect was credited with his second stakes winner when Anemacore lived up to his long-held potential and pre-race favouritism with victory in Saturday’s A$160,000 Listed Coastline BMW Sunshine Coast Cup (1400m).
Ridden by Michael Rodd for trainer Shaun Dwyer, Anemacore had only three horses behind him with 300m to run but produced a powerful finishing burst to get up and win by a length and a quarter.
Anemacore has now had 20 starts for six wins, nine placings and A$364,760 in stakes. But a series of setbacks have prevented him from fully achieving what Dwyer has long believed him to be capable of, including a bleeding attack at Eagle Farm last May.
"We've probably only seen half of what the horse should've been able to do," Dwyer said. "He had a back issue very early and we got on top of that, and then he bled."
The six-year-old has made a strong return since then, winning three of his four starts this season along with a third in the Listed Lough Neah Stakes (1300m) at Eagle Farm on December 20 in his previous start.
Anemacore was bred by Nigel and Adaire Auret, who stand Unusual Suspect at Letham Stud. He is the sire of 52 winners from just 84 runners, with Anemacore joining Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) winner Unusual Countess as his second stakes winner. Unusual Suspect is also the sire of black-type placegetters Unusual Legacy and Unusual Culture.
Anemacore is out of the Rip Van Winkle mare Saintly Ripa, a daughter of Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (1600m) winner Saint Cecile.
Anemacore was a trial winner at Foxton in December 2022 for the Aurets' son Fraser before being sold to Australia.
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